Over 80% of Ukrainians Say Country Was Unprepared for Russian Invasion, Survey Finds

A recent survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) has revealed that a significant majority of Ukrainians believe the country was not adequately prepared for Russia’s full-scale invasion. According to the results, 81% of respondents feel Ukraine fell short in its preparations. Among them, 37% think the country made some efforts but not enough, while 44% believe the measures taken were completely insufficient. Only 16% consider that Ukraine did enough to prepare, with 14% saying it mostly met the requirements despite some shortcomings, and a mere 2% asserting full preparedness.

Those who judged the country’s readiness as inadequate were asked to identify the reasons behind the perceived shortcomings. The responses indicate a lack of consensus among the population. The most frequently cited factor, mentioned by 46% of these respondents, was the failure of political leadership to take necessary action, an increase from 41% in a similar survey conducted in February 2025. In addition, 35% of respondents blamed the general population for not believing in or preparing for the invasion, up from 32% earlier this year. Other factors included Russia’s overwhelming resources (21%, up from 15%), the influence of pro-Russian forces and agents (17%, down from 21%), insufficient efforts by military command (15%, up from 13%), limited Western support (15%, compared to 16% previously), and the practical impossibility of fully preparing for all scenarios in the time available (14%, up from 10%).

The survey, part of the KIIS Omnibus and commissioned by the NGO Centre for Strategic Communications Forum, was carried out from 19 to 28 September. It relied on telephone interviews with a random sample of mobile phone numbers across all government-controlled areas of Ukraine. The study included 1,029 citizens aged 18 and older. Residents of territories temporarily outside Ukrainian control were not included, though some respondents were internally displaced persons from these areas. Ukrainians who left the country after 24 February 2022 were also excluded.

KIIS notes that under standard conditions, the statistical error for this sample, with a 95% confidence level and a design effect of 1.3, would not exceed 4.1% for proportions near 50%, 3.5% for indicators around 25%, 2.5% for 10%, and 1.8% for 5%. However, the institute emphasizes that wartime conditions introduce additional systematic deviations that can influence the accuracy of the results.